Various types of traps have been commercially available for many years for use by fur trappers, such as raccoon traps. One of the most common types of raccoon traps includes a tubular body in which bait is inserted, with a trigger which is set and then tripped by a raccoon's paw when the raccoon tries to withdraw the bait from the tubular body. The trigger is tripped only in one direction, when the paw is being pulled out of the tubular housing. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,787 (Bonnot) for a spring-loaded trap with a one-way trigger. When the trigger is tripped, a spring biased clamp traps the raccoon's leg before the paw is withdrawn from the housing. This type of trap is more humane to the animal, and causes little or no injury to the animal. However, some raccoons escape the trap without setting off the trigger, due to the one-way action of the trigger. Also, the wire loop anchor of the Bonnot trap cannot be pushed into hard or frozen ground, and cannot be anchored in a tree, wooden post or other solid structure. The Bonnot trap also cannot be used in water since the anchor is too short. Applicants co-pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 12/773,303 filed on May 4, 2010 and entitled RACCOON TRAP addresses these deficiencies of conventional raccoon traps, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Another problem with conventional traps is that the opened end of the trap allows small animals, particularly mice, to enter a trap and steal the bait, without tripping the trigger. It is virtually impossible for a trapper to see from a distance, for example driving by the traps, whether the bait remains in a set trap. Rather, the trapper must look directly into the opened end of the tubular body to inspect the bait. If the bait has been stolen by a mouse or other small animal, the unbaited trap will not attract a raccoon.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved animal trap having a removable cap to preclude bait from being stolen.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a raccoon trap cap which prevents a mouse or other small animals from entering the trap body to access the bait.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a raccoon trap cap which loosely fits over the open end of the trap body and can be easily removed by a raccoon seeking the bait inside the trap body.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an animal trap cap having a grip portion which an animal can use for removing the cap from the trap body.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a raccoon trap cap having vent holes to allow bait aroma to escape from the trap body.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.